The Found Arcana - Sixth Interlude [IC] Options

[Tecumseh]

<<Wednesday Afternoon - February 1, 2079 - Touristville, Redmond>>

It's been a week and a half since the adventure in the mountains, and five days since the training session at Brent's house. The teens, while tired from the school day at the end of a week, were dutiful students. The were attentive and took rigorous notes. AM, able to peek in on the process, founds an ARO that acted as their collective notes, like a wiki page where they added, edited, corrected, and offered their own interpretations on the lessons.

Has anyone just sat and written down what you've said before? It's an unusual experience. And a bit heady... you can imagine why teachers often get inflated egos when they have a captive audience hanging on their every word.

After the Friday afternoon lesson is done, Mato leaves town for the week. He says he's off to the "Wild Orc Recreation Ranch" where he's going to learn how to white water raft if it's the last thing he does. The ranch usually caters to summer tourists, but they're happy to commission a private lesson in the winter if there's someone silly enough to pay. Evidently Mato's pride - what's left of it - was rather hurt by his experiences on the river. He vows to do better by the daylight. He's also going to be learning some cold-weather survival skills, plus the basics of navigation. He says he'll be back the following weekend.

He's been gone for a few days when you get a call from Cutty:

<<Hey, got a situation down here at the gym and could use your help resolving it.>>

[Beta]

Jawsey had returned to SIS quietly. You might say uncharacteristically so, except that he continues to be pretty quiet so maybe that is the new 'characteristic' with him? For certain the month in his homeland has changed him. He doesn't say much about it other than that he went on a spirit quest but that it brought more learning than enlightenment. It is noticeable that he doesn't complain about discomfort as much as he used to; his back clearly still pains him at times but he doesn't complain about the damp weather or having stood too long.

Not that he is around the offices a lot, he spends a fair bit of time visiting Five Finger Gao, to get his weapon focus enhanced. It is still 'in the shop' when the call comes in from Cutty, so he grabs an ordinary cane and his jacket and hat and joins the others to head over there.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby had gone into the training session with great enthusiasm - and little concept. His training relied mainly on getting the teenagers to lose their natural inhibitions to use effective violence. That included screaming as loud as possible, spitting, scratching and biting to get attackers to back off. Fear of making a fool of oneself was the first hurdle to overcome if you didn't want to be abducted.
Not everyone appreciated that revelation. Especially not when Bobby suggested weaponizing their own urine.

He was happy to see Jawsey return, but was a bit worried about his behavior shift. Still, he reasoned, having iniated was a sensation that you had to process. So he resolved to give it time, before addressing it.

As Cutty's call came in he replied instantly: <<We'll be there in in 5>>

[Gilga]

Before Jawsey joins them, AM is surprised that not sharing a room brings all that joy that she thought it would. She likes to complain, and it is uncomfortable, but uncomfortable makes her feel safe. She does not feel safe since she finished her debt, luck has shined on her, so it must be a test. Something terrible is going to happen, and Iktomi would laugh hard at how gullible she is. She makes plenty of new dream-catchers in defense and places them near her bed and in the lodge. Yet, the days pass, and no meteor crushes from the sky on her precious Erika. Nobody even pulls a gun on her when she is on her way to the grocery store or at Gau—dreaming on a focus and exchanging notes on sorcery. She usually talks to Jawsey about sorcery, but he is gone to study on his own. It is the 1st of the month, and she does not have to meet TJ. No ice cream - and Bobby is less ceremonial about his debt collection. She gives him anything she earns until she owes nothing. The man embodies her deity - a shape changer that makes him especially dangerous and while she begins to grow fond of SIS. It is scary to owe money to someone with that kind of power.

She had the ceremonious dinner with Jimmy for completing the debt - and got offered a new debt for a bigger deck, but she refused. Knowing how much trouble the little Erika has gotten her, and she meets a few times with Kira online but the more experienced decker is often very busy. So AM gets little training. Redmond was getting more civilized -but nothing good ever happens without something bad to balance the score. Preparing for the worst, AM dedicates her time to worshipping Iktomi and being a better scholar of the Destroyer. She trains her muscles, mainly the magical muscles, to embody wisdom, trickery, and strength.

When Cutty's message arrives, she studies a sorcery e-book with a few interesting insights about shamanism. She places her armor jacket on top of her oversized t-shirt, for a moment she thinks about going to the bathroom to fresh up or look at a mirror. Then she decides to use the fashion spell instead, and look great without all the fuss of grooming. Being a woman became effortless once she opened up to the fashion spell. For a brief moment, AM even considers starting to dress like a woman. Though, she then remembers that she is an elf, and that the world objectifies her kind, and that she lives in the middle of multiple gangs filled with hormonal males.
Femininity and especially elf femininity attract too much-unwanted attention.

[Tecumseh]

While Bobby works on getting the teenagers past their social inhibitions, Mato works on their logical side. The kids don't intuitively understand how to weaponize urine, but they do understand physics and biomechanics. Mato explains how even a minimum amount of force applied at the right place and in the right direction - eyes, knuckles, genitals - can produce a disproportionate result, which does make intuitive sense. Mato explains how bite strength can vary from 500 Newtons (females) to 800 Newtons (males), and that some jaws can even exert up to 1,300 Newtons under the right circumstances - namely being under duress and/or being Bobby. Bobby is only too happy to demonstrate, and his jaw strength is indeed truly savage. He tears apart of piece of meat (real meat, sparing no expense) to demonstrate the effectiveness of an uninhibited attack. The teens are horrified, but convinced.

Besides filling in some of the gaps in his skill set, Mato may have another motivation for getting away. He recently completed a piece of work the verified the infidelity of one of the locals, an older (60-something) human male named Sean Benton. The problem in this case is that Sean is popular. Sean grew up in Redmond, pulled himself out of the gutters, and made a name for himself playing Urban Brawl for the Seattle Screamers, even winning a championship as a novahot rookie back in 2050. Despite the fact that he's a multimillionaire, he still has the heart of a street kid who misses his own kind. A couple times a year he gives a party with doors open to all. He usually goes unnoticed - despite his flaming red hair - among the crush of so many guests.

So when Mato uncovered Sean's infidelity, the neighborhood response was decidedly unhappy and rises to his defense. "Sean's one of us." "Of course he's going to cheat. Isn't that what you do when you're rich?" "Why are these newcomers trying to pull him down." "If I were him, I'd cheat too!" "Sean's just spreading the wealth!" "Makes sense: that guy stole my girl back in 2050. Would have popped him at the time if I could, but looking back he did me a favor."

Sean, for his part, is embarrassed but has a PR team to keep a lid on things and stop them from spinning out of control. He doesn't seem overly vengeful, chalking it up as the price of business, so to speak. Sure, the wronged wife quickly files for divorce, but that's why he signed a prenup isn't it? But, just to be on the safe side, Mato makes himself scarce for a week for things to cool down. He uses the opportunity as an excuse to plop down ¥600 on a new outfit - Globetrotter clothing from the Ares Victory line, with a woodsy camouflage pattern and cold insulation for the winter weather - and takes off (on foot) for the mountains where the locals are unlikely to pursue him. Still, it puts a damper on your walk-in business, and the last week of the month is decidedly quiet. Cutty's call is the first thing that's happened in days.

[Tecumseh]

You pack up quickly and head for the gym, which is a short walk away. The weather is typical for this time of year: 10 C, a bit breezy, and an on-again-off-again rain that's currently raining. Most people are inside due to the weather. It's late afternoon, about 17:00. With the heavy cloud cover it is pretty dark out; the sun will set in 10 minutes.

At the gym, you find a stand-off of sorts. Cutty is surrounded by six Halloweeners who have a circus/clown theme going. Bobby recognizes the “Rager” (the Halloweener lieutenant) who is in charge of this squad as Carn-evil, who looks like a demonic clown. The Halloweeners are crowding close to Cutty, who is standing his ground. He has his massive arms folded across his massive chest and he doesn't seem to be budging.

"It's the first of the month. Time to pay!" Carn-evil shouts.

"And I told you," Cutty replies firmly but calmly, "I already paid two weeks ago." Cutty is a huge human with dark skin, evidence of his half-Sioux and half-African heritage. "I'm on a fixed income here; I don't have the nuyen to pay twice."

"You didn't pay us!" Some of the Halloweeners play with lighters in a menacing fashion, flicking them open, lighting them, then snapping the lids shut with a loud CLACK.

"I paid the Crimson Crush. Y'all a syndicate now, right? Paying them is the same as paying you."

The Halloweeners have bottles with them. A quick glance at the astral tells you that they're agitated but not drunk. That must mean that there's something else in the bottles...

You're approaching from behind the Halloweeners. Cutty, looking over their shoulders, notices you but doesn't give any indication that you're there. His eyes shoot off to the right before looking back to you. Following his look, you see a group of street kids huddled together in the gym, obviously scared by the proceedings. They look frozen in place, as if moving might draw attention to themselves.

"Who? Who did you pay?"

Cutty looks exasperated. You can tell the conversation has been going like this for five minutes since he called you. "I didn't think it was my place to ask for a name," he says in a cunning display of verbal jiu-jitsu.

At his hip, you notice his hand making a subtle motion. It's Sioux Sign Language for "calm, peace". His eyes dart to the kids again to reinforce the point.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby stopped dead when he saw the display. Six guys. Just three too many to just kick out. And Cutty didn't want the kids to end in the crossfire.

<<We have to secure the molotov cocktails somehow. AM, how many things can you control at the same time with your telekinesis? I can take out two guys reliably with one spell.>>

[Beta]

Jawsey looked grim when he saw the six Halloweeners. With superior numbers they were not apt to give in to either threats or persuasion easily. Well, he could even up the numbers a bit, 6 to 5 was better than 6 to 4. A quick thought and then he reached out to Woman-Like-a-Shadow. The sly spirit made him pay a bit for the privilege, but in a second a tall woman with a head like a totem-pole carving of raven, clad in a cloak of the blackest fur, walked alongside the SIS team.

He let the others know <<She can grab things from a distance, hopefully tie up at least one of the bottles, if it comes to that. Probably mostly useful just as a show of force on our part>>

[Gilga]

AM responds ">> Trouble can reach for the bottles with telekinesis. I can only levitate I can do all of them, but they might spill.". She quickly assesses the situation and decides that buying some time is the best priority. Get them talking, the longer that passes without a confrontation the better. They can always use violence but even if it works, humiliating the Haloweeners would be a shortsighted victory.

She uses the techniques her mother taught her to sound authoritative and says "I rigged this place with security cameras. So how about, I show you the trogs that stole your money. She pauses, hoping to get their attention, and then adds If we can remain civilized, I'll even help with finding and identifying them." She says confidently, it would take a few minutes to find the trogs on camera, and either it works, or it gives them some time to come up with a plan, and ask for more details.

[Tecumseh]

The Halloweeners spin to confront AM.

Tactically, this is a mistake, as they've all turned their backs to Cutty simultaneously. Cutty being Cutty could easily smash two of them before the others had a chance to react, but it's clear from his body language - namely, the distinct lack of head-smashing - that Cutty wants to keep things non-violent.

"What did you say?" one of the Halloweeners asks AM. Upon review, it seems that this Halloweener is an ork who probably didn't appreciate AM's use of the word "trog". "Say it again, you back-stabbing knife-eared dandelion-eater. Say it to my face." In fairness to AM, they're wearing so much makeup that it can be hard to tell the orks from the humans.

Carn-evil isn't exactly a diplomat but this doesn't seem to be the discussion that he/she/it wants to have. "Your cameras don't matter. Don't try to make his problems into my problems. I don't care if he paid the Crimson Crush. His problem is that he hasn't paid us."

So what is this? A miscommunication between the members of Urubia's syndicate? Or are they double-dipping, knowing that there's nobody around to stop them?

Carn-evil turns to Bobby with a baleful grin. "I remember you. The Funhouse. I told you that you’re not part of this agreement, so it would be open season on your hairy hoop. Yet here you are.”

[Beta]

<<I can also levitate on or two. Well, might be hard with the big ones.
And that wouldn't stop them from throwing their toys. >>

Jawsey cuts in before Bobby has a chance to respond, hoping to divert things away from that particular line of discussion. In a relaxed voice he comments "I don't see how it isn't your problem. Someone else goes into your stuff and takes your drugs, no amount of yelling at your sack is going to get you high. Someone goes into the fridge and eats the lunch I put in there, kicking the fridge doesn't fill up my belly. Someone comes through your territory and takes all the money that people have, burning them out doesn't earn you a single Nuyen. Face it, the Crush stole your lunch, or else you were hoping there were leftovers, and there aren't."

He'd added in little actions to go along with the words, to keep things light, but now he stops that, and says seriously "I'd be mad if someone stole my lunch. But throwing a temper tantrum won't bring it back, so instead I go talk to the people responsible instead of taking it out on the fridge. Besides, kicking the fridge is going to hurt me more than the fridge."

He's not sure if they'll follow his metaphor well enough to catch the implied threat, and he's not sure if he should have made it or not, but it was too good to resist.

[Tecumseh]

"Oi, it's squishy-smoothie," says the trog after Jawsey speaks. "Mr. Limp-Wrist Noodle-Dick!" he says to laughter, apparently referring to Jawsey's physical infirmities. Evidently this one only insults people in hyphenated phrases.

Carn-evil isn't buying what Jawsey is selling. "Get out of here with your false equivalences, your mistaken metaphors," they say, using several more syllables than you might have expected. "Is the man here an inanimate object? Or are you just trying to rob him of his agency in the matter?"

Carn-evil extends their hands and gestures to the gym. The kids wince, fearing they are about to do something.

"This place has been here, what, a month?" That's approximately correct; you last helped Cutty on January 1st. "Do you think a gym springs up out of nothing, like Pallas Athena from the forehead of Zeus? Carn-evil mimes an explosion on their forehead. "No, it takes capital. You don't run a business like this without expecting some losses at the front end."

Cutty involuntarily winces behind Carn-evil's back, suggesting there's truth to what Carn-evil is saying.

"So consider this an investment. Part of the start-up costs. It's a nice gym." (It's not, really.) "Be a shame if something... happened to it."

The Halloweeners shake their bottles as if they're full of champagne ready to be sprayed in celebration. They whoop and holler. Now, objectively, almost everything in the gym is concrete and/or iron. It's actually not a good candidate for arson. But there are people inside who would presumably object to being lit on fire, yourselves included.

On the astral, you can tell that this is part of the act. The Halloweeners are threatening but don't really seem overtly violent. This demonstration is how they get their kicks, how they instill fear and respect among the masses.

Carn-evil steps into Bobby and gives him a theatrical sniff. They twist their face and give a sour look. "You might actually smell better after burning."

Up close, Bobby can see a light in Carn-evil's eyes, a glimmer. Bobby recognizes it as lucidity. Carn-evil might be psychopath but they aren't stupid. The vocabulary suggests as much. There's a reason Carn-evil is a Rager rather than a rank-and-file ganger.

[Gilga]

AM deflects some attention from Bobby. "Carn-Evil I presume. You do not normally *work* in Redmond. You guys party here but you make a living downtown. This turf normally gets collected by Big Stank, and by Andru before that. Even if you manage to collect a few pennies from Cutty, our next stop would be talking to Big Stank asking for explanations. I presume he would not be very happy about the Haloweener's double collecting in his Turf.

She pauses and breaths, There would be consequences as it makes Big Stank look weak. I am not sure exactly what Big Stank would do. He can retaliate directly, or go to Nightmare, or perhaps even to the Dragon. It's even bigger than Big Stank, Urubia runs this place, and if you would set fire to one of her tax-paying assets. Very bold, but not very smart.

Now if there is a bigger reason for you being here rather than downtown. We would be happy to help out as we want to be on better terms with the powerful Haloweeners.

[Tecumseh]

Carn-evil gives AM an appraising look, and then a withering grin.

"Urubia doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus, and we petty metahumans walk under her huge legs and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves."

In case the meaning isn't clear, Carn-evil summarizes: "Urubia don't give a drek."

Are they smiling, or is that just the demonic face paint?

"Nightmare and Big Stank can hack it out. But that's their problem, not yours. Your problem is that dues are owed, and dues will be paid."

Carn-evil doesn't directly address the question about working in Redmond vs. partying here. AM is correct: the Halloweeners hang out at The Jackal's Lantern, and maybe even sleep nearby, but most of their nuyen comes from Downtown. Or did that change with the syndicate? Has the gang evolved under Nightmare and/or Urubia? Carn-evil doesn't seem inclined to say.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby kept uncharacteristically calm, despite the provocation.
"I've got only one question for you: are you here for business or pleasure?
If it's business you can wait here until BS has been contacted and things sorted out - preferably between you too and outside.
If you are just here for a lark... That means you are out of order of your new world order.
I told you back at the fun house about the loss of autonomy. And you told me you are totally cool with living with a boss that tells you what to do.
Long words to say: you have no backing. We can bundle you up and give you to the CS for poaching. Or we can get rid of you for good.
The dragon doesn't care, there are enough hungry ghouls around and the Crush doesn't mind either.
There are rules now, territories and quarterly reports. There's even a god damn customer hotline. Welcome to the brave new world. Dues are to be paid, but only once per month.

So what's it gonna be? Business or a brawl?"

[Gilga]

Only written because I did not see Bobby's post. She would have kept quiet in this case.

AM does not blink "If you wanted to burn the place, you would not have waited for the three Sioux mages and their spirits to arrive. You have been in this standoff for what ten minutes before we arrived? We are trying to help. Let's figure out a solution where everyone saves face.

Now you clearly need money quickly because otherwise, you would not be here right now. You admitted that you are working alone and that your actions would create problems between big Stank and Nightmare. You are risking a gang war or to the very least few dead friends for a bit of cash? We can go to a private room without Molotov and terrified children and figure it out. Perhaps, we can help each other without appealing to higher powers."

[Tecumseh]

Carn-evil locks eyes with Bobby, psycho-to-savage. They study each other intently, looking for a gap in their psychological armor.

Bobby's words don't seem to bother Carn-evil, but there's something about Bobby's tone... or maybe it's the shock that Bobby delivered back at the Funhouse... or maybe it's AM's reference to three Sioux mages and their spirits...

Carn-evil blinks.

Carn-evil's leans in close and drops their to a whisper so that Bobby (and perhaps AM and Jawsey) can hear: "We'll see who has no backing. You're going to find out who is on the outside of the new world order."

With that, Carn-evil shoulders past Bobby and heads toward the exit. The Halloweeners are initially confused by the cessation of the hostilities but they fall in line and follow Carn-evil out. If they're going to say anything - like "why aren't we burning them alive??" - they save those comments for when they're outside and out of earshot.

[Gilga]

AM is agitated and says perhaps to herself perhaps to them. "Out of all the characters in Redmond, we managed to pick a fight with the only person quoting Shakespeare as naturally as we speak modern English.

[Beta]

As soon as the gangers are gone Jawsey casts Clairaudience on Mato, realizes that the spell came out super weakly and drops it, muttering "Never mind" (while internally screaming) then quickly drops to the floor and leaves his body to follow the gangers. He makes sure they leave the scene, and keeps an eye on their emotions.

[ Spoiler ]

he rolled 1 success (but 7 on drain soak!), so I didn't bother copying the rolls in

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby slightly shook his head: "It was only a matter of time until that wannabe-Harlekine-poser run into each other again. The fight was picked then, all we can hope for is to end it before it spills over to Cutty and his customers. And unless we want our stuff burned, we'll have to do something about them now.
I should have just turned him into a sloth with osteoporosis and ripped his heart out. No that's not an obscure metaphor. Sloths can't run away and it's easy to get into their ribcage with claws."
Bobby picked up Jawsey and pulled him onto a bench for a more dignified posture.

He turned to Cutty: "Did you actually pay or was that a line of bullshit, because you called the bluff of those bozos?"

[Tecumseh]

Jawsey catches a "Where are we going?? Why aren't we-" "You'll see" before he drops his clairaudience spell. Zipping after the Halloweeners on the astral, he finds Carn-evil rather agitated. Their pride has been wounded. The other Halloweeners are confused and angry and violent and clearly not in the right minds (although "right" is a relative term for Halloweeners). But, for the moment, they're following Carn-evil's lead, even if there are seeds of doubt among them. For what it's worth, they're not walking toward SIS headquarters, nor are they setting an ambush; they seem to be heading back toward The Jackal's Lantern.

Back at the gym, Cutty says, "I did pay. I paid the Crimson Crush two weeks ago, not long after opening, and figured I was good for a month. But I don't know how things work around here: maybe they go by calendar months rather than 30 days since your last payment. But I doubt my payment was prorated for being in mid-January."

He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose.

"Could I have paid? Yes, I suppose, if it came down to that or violence. But I'm already on a diet of rice and beans. If I'm lucky, I get some hominy or winter squash. Maybe a turnip. I add flavoring to my soy with a medicine dropper." He mimes doing so. He juts a thumb over his shoulder. "I sleep on a cot in the back under a wool blanket that's scratchier than steel wool. There's just not a lot of places where I can trim my budget."

He holds up his hands. "I don't want violence over a misunderstanding. I know the syndicate is new. They probably have kinks to work out. But I can't afford to pay double while they straight out their bureaucracy."

It's seems strange for him to be defending the syndicate, or at least being sympathetic to the notion that their administration doesn't have everything smoothed out.

Or maybe they are double-dipping. There's no more competition, nobody to push back and tell them 'no'.

"I just want to be a place for the kids, you know?" He indicates the street kids, who are still anxious. "Keep them dry. Put some maize and beans in them.

"The streets aren't safe, neh? For a lot of them, home isn't safe either, if they even have a home. How else would you ever end up with folks like that?" He gestures after the Halloweeners. "I don't think those clown fellas are the product of a warm and loving home environment.

"I just want to help without it hurting too much. Not me, not anyone else if I can help it."

[Jack_Spade]

"Eh, no complaints from me - I'm fully on board with not letting them ruin you before you get off the ground. We know you are doing good work here. I just wanted to know if we can actually call the CC.
Now, don't worry too much - Carn-evil has a lot of bad karma on his shoulders. Types like that don't get old. We'll just have to make sure you and your gym outlive him."

Bobby didn't mention that he was right now contemplating how to accellerate that proposed timeline.

[Gilga]

AM takes off, her coat and takes a pair of boxing gloves. It is a bit chilly without it as Cutty is not big on heating the place, but she will keep moving to stay warm. She has improved her fitness and confidence a bit in the last month but is miles away from looking like someone that can actually fight with fists. She gets in front of her punching bag and hopes that this time - she can hurt the bag more than it hurts her hands. She is very upset - about this situation and the way things escalated, and tries to vent her emotions into boxing trying to attain clarity as to the violence that may engulf them in the near future. The lank elf feels a bit out of her depth regarding the stressful situation and is comfortable half earing the conversation between the ex-military men. Being female, a street kid, and growing in a mentality that avoids confrontations, by a combination of either giving up or trying to change the nature of the relationship to a more mutually beneficial relationship. She does not anticipate that her opinions would be very popular.


AM makes half a grin when Cutty mentions keeping the kids safe... She thinks or perhaps explains to Iktomi whom she imagines is right there with them. "He would only make for more skilled gangers. Yes some of them join the gangs because they need some love or a sense of family. This is an individual story, but there is the economic reality. There are not many legitimate ways that a SINless can sustain herself. Gangs offer jobs and are a big part of the economy of Redmond. No amount of boxing or martial arts could ever change that fundamental fact. Carn-evil for all his downsides keeps a bunch of misfits well fed and entertained and they usually only hurt the rich people. He is not the monster that Bobby is making him up to be. Urubia's vision may actually reduce the number of gangers because they'll be more legitimate businesses to work in - and more tourists visiting Redmond. Which means a more normative economy and less criminal economy.

She punches badly, and shakes her hand, thinking "If he wanted to really keep them off the streets he should teach them computers like mommy taught me. That method works, they may live in Redmond, but in VR you can exist outside of your physical status. There are fewer boundaries and you can interact with people over great social and physical distances. It makes money as rich people are lazy and would always throw a few crumbs and outsource jobs to skillfully SINless. Anything that would make them appear more productive among their peers."

Iktomi does not answer or at least does not answer with words. She only saw him once in the light of day and at that point, he was as real as Bobby. He makes her feel less alone in her mind and helps her to come up with something that works.

[Tecumseh]

AM works the punching bag while half-listening to Cutty's conversation with Bobby. It's strange because Cutty seems to be addressing AM's thoughts, even though he obviously can't hear them. (Or can he?)

"It's that feeling of family, that sense of belonging and togetherness through shared hardship. Like you get in the military. Yes, you're teaching them tools of violence, but they come with rules of engagement and a value system. A code of honor, if you will. You give them a constructive outlet for their aggressions with structure to keep things safe and disciplined. The training is a lightning rod that intercepts the violence, grounding it."

Just as Cutty says this, a fat, hair spider crawls around the punching bag and AM's fist - already in flight - SLAMS it. AM looks to see what she's done. But there's no spider guts on the bag, nor are there any on her boxing gloves.

Curious, she circles the bag looking for the spider but it's not there. Then she checks the floor, thinking it must have been knocked off onto the ground. But the smooth, clean, concrete floor is devoid of spiders.

Looking up, AM notices the spider climbing the chain that attaches the bag to its stand. There, she finds herself standing under an intricate spider web that's been woven at the top of the stand. She was under it this entire time.

So why don't you do it? she finds herself thinking involuntarily.

Do what? she asks herself in response.

Teach them computers, she answers unconsciously.

AM studies the web, which is riddled with bugs. Despite being the middle of winter, the spider has been eating well.

[Gilga]

"So my favorite Wakan Tanka is strong in here." She says, grinning, glowing a spiderweb is always a good omen. She is back to boxing, and the questions in her head are strange. It is not normal for a mage to hear or almost hear voices that are not her own. That part happens all the time, and it happens more the more you widen your connection. She wonders if Jawsey is ready for the experience, for the humility and a bit of insanity of occasionally seeing things that aren't there or hearing voices that nobody else can listen to.
Jawsey's magic is growing day today, and he will be better than her soon. What would it feel like to be a strong mage? For Bobby, his connection likely damaged his career. It is not healthy to blame the totem for your misgivings - a strong mage should resist the totem. Yet, it gets more complicated the stronger and more connected you are.


When questions are raised in her mind, she answers.
That is a strange question... pausing Studying computers got me out of trouble growing up, but then it got me into serious troubles. The same knowledge that kept me safe now keeps my life very dangerous. Life is not about safety - it is about freedom.

You Ksa, once I got good at computers - I did not want to live on scraps; I wanted to live a good life, have a nice home, a car perhaps. First, the plan was to find a good marriage, but we both know how that turned out. I have never been intimate with a guy since these events - memories are too painful.

Then I run-off to Seattle on the surface because I was ashamed of freezing and failing to protect my investment, my lover. I was a different person then, and could not face a wildcat.

Though, if I dig deeper, I did not want to go back to my mother. It was safe, but I would have been miserable. I never had freedom except when my dad took me driving on the open roads for a few days. For a few days, I had the freedom of movement and felt loved. He had other kids that knew nothing about me, but he wanted to be my daddy too. So he took me on his business trips as a driver and taught me some fancy driving. He also taught me how to fire a pistol - he thought it was the parental thing to do. He planted a seed of self-reliance and freedom, and I took it all in because I wanted a daddy.

She punches a bit more and continues thinking of Iktomi.

Now, I got here, and I needed money. The crumbs I was earning were not going to cut it. Otherwise, I'd have a fake SIN decades ago. I figured that I needed a deck to make money for the new SIN and possibly buy a new one every year. This is how they get you with the fake SINs. They are good until they randomly get burned, and if you are not arrested, you need a new identity. I had Kira vouch for me and took an insane risk that could just as well have gotten me killed. I took over 60k from the Mafia at insane interest rates. Now the interest alone was like buying a new SIN each month -that crazy. I am not sure if money means anything to you but let's go over all the crazy shit I have done just to pay for the deck and SIN.

She punches again and again, with some happiness in her motions. The body pains already, but there is some satisfaction.

I befriended Andrew, negotiated with crimelords, rescued a kid from the Haloweeners, chased elusive arcane artifacts, disabled an actual bomb at the art gallery without any prior training... Thanks for your help, by the way. I then sold explosives to a street gang and survived a gang war that was prolonged by the explosives I sold.
I meddled in the affairs of a dragon, and I even protected an actual noble family, grew fond of an actual duchess. I levitated her most terrifying Katya. I illegally crossed an international border twice yesterday, got nearly blown up, petrified a mage, and narrowly evaded the Salish army.

You see, Iktomi - teaching them *anything* be it computers or fighting skills, is a terrible idea for keeping them safe. You take the most dangerous people in the entire world. These people are wronged the most, that have the least to lose as they are deprived of any place on the social ladder. You take these timebombs, and then you make them more powerful. You are not getting them safe, you are getting them killed and a lot of other SINNers in the way. They do not want to be safe; they want to be free.

I was given something in my world. My SINNer dad loved me; he managed to get me educated. My rage is dulled because normative society has eventually done something for me. I swore to protect the Sioux society - and it was the hardest oath of all. I suddenly needed to love the tribe that I hated my entire life - my oppressors. I had to be a meaningful figure to Sioux traditionalists to wield magic. I took this oath - as painful as it is. I accepted my heritage as half Sioux. I wanted to understand who I am, and what is this connection that I feel.

My own bomb was defused, and I am not as dangerous as I was beforehand. Some of these kids never got anything from UCAS society. Most of them will never get any kind of recognition. There is nothing to defuse their bombs. Teaching them plants the seeds of anarchy and revolution. Cutty does not understand it because he is a SINNer and a respected member of his society. His perception of reality hides the true nature of these kids. He does not understand the poison, the hate, and the burning desire for justice.

So to put it bluntly, I am the last person one should take advice on being safe... However, my moral obligation is only to preserve Sioux society, I never took an oath about Anglo society. I sympathize with the SINless more than I do with the rich people. So I do not mind increasing the risk for these Richy rich Bellevue kids. Perhaps I will teach someone if they ask me nicely - and don't stare at my hop or laugh at me when I box."